	December 1995

The Kinstle List: Making Accessible Theatre MORE Integrated

Jimi Kinstle, MD TAP Administrative Assistant and Theatrical Bon Vivant

Hi Tapping Techies! It's me once again. Recently, fresh from a whirlwind tour of the left coast, I was fortunate enough to see Man of La Mancha at the Lyric Opera House. The matinee was audio described by Michael Keach. MD TAP and several organizations serving blind and visually individuals attended. Being in a theatre with over 50 sight impaired persons for the first time, it came to my attention that many sight impaired persons were having their first, or nearly their first, theatre experience. Making theatre accessible is a brand new step in the world of technology and in the world of theatre. People who ordinarily attend theatre are not used to seeing Audio Description Head Sets or Assistive Listening Devices. To help successfully integrate theatre to where it is fully accessible, I noted that some changes need to occur for all patrons to interact positively in the theatre. Here is the official Kinstle List for making accessible theatre more integrated.

Participating theatres usually have audio description head sets obtainable at the coat check. Look for them there prior to asking an usher or others.
Head sets tend to "spill" sound. Surrounding audience members may hear mumbling of the audio description. Your head set is for you alone. Turn the volume up only as much as you need to in order to enjoy the performance.
Canes should be either collapsed, checked or placed on the floor. Propping a cane on one's shoulder tends to block sightlines for other audience members.
Talking and asking questions during the performance is inappropriate behavior, unless you have missed important plot exposition. Make mental notes to ask questions during intermission or after the show to keep audience discussion at a minimum during the show.
Unwrap candies, cough drops, etc., before the show. Rummaging through one's bag and unwrapping food is distracting for others.

And, especially for volunteer ushers: Treat adult people with disabilities the way you treat all adult patrons: with respect! Head or cheek patting, or grabbing parts of patron's bodies, guide dogs or other companions is not recommended!

I hope that these few tips will help to make accessible theatre more enjoyable for everyone. If you have any ideas that may help even more please contact me by Email (JK164@umail.umd.edu). I'd love to hear any comments that can help improve the worlds of accessibility and theatre.


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